1 N ow Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur, Jucal son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malchiah heard the words that Jeremiah spoke to all the people, saying,

And Shephatiah son of Mattan, and Gedaliah son of Pashhur, and Jucal son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malchiah, hear the words that Jeremiah is speaking unto all the people, saying,

2 T hus says the Lord: He who remains in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, but he who goes out to the Chaldeans shall live; for he shall have his life as his only booty, and he shall live.

`Thus said Jehovah: He who is remaining in this city dieth, by sword, by famine, and by pestilence, and he who is going forth unto the Chaldeans liveth, and his soul hath been to him for a prey, and he liveth.

3 T hus says the Lord: This city shall surely be given into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it.

Thus said Jehovah: This city is certainly given into the hand of the force of the king of Babylon, and he hath captured it.'

4 T herefore the princes said to the king, We beseech you, let this man be put to death; for thus he weakens the hands of the soldiers who remain in this city and the hands of all the people by speaking such words to them. For this man is not seeking the welfare of these people, but harm.

And the heads say unto the king, `Let, we pray thee, this man be put to death, because that he is making feeble the hands of the men of war, who are left in this city, and the hands of all the people, by speaking unto them according to these words, for this man is not seeking for the peace of this people, but for its evil.'

5 T hen Zedekiah the king said, Behold, he is in your hands; for the king is in no position to do anything against you.

And the king Zedekiah saith, `Lo, he in your hand: for the king is not able for you anything.'

6 S o they took Jeremiah and cast him into the dungeon or cistern pit of Malchiah the king’s son, which was in the court of the guard; and they let Jeremiah down with ropes. And in the dungeon or cistern pit there was no water, but only mire, and Jeremiah sank in the mire.

And they take Jeremiah, and cast him into the pit of Malchiah son of the king, that in the court of the prison, and they send down Jeremiah with cords; and in the pit there is no water, but mire, and Jeremiah sinketh in the mire.

7 N ow when Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, one of the eunuchs who was in the king’s house, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the dungeon or cistern pit; and while the king was then sitting in the Gate of Benjamin,

And Ebed-Melech the Cushite, a eunuch who in the king's house, heareth that they have put Jeremiah into the pit; and the king is sitting at the gate of Benjamin,

8 E bed-melech went out of the king’s house and spoke to the king, saying,

and Ebed-Melech goeth forth from the king's house, and speaketh unto the king, saying,

9 M y lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have cast into the dungeon or cistern pit; and he is liable to die of hunger and is dead in the place where he is, for there is no more bread left in the city.

`My lord, O king, these men have done evil all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have cast into the pit, and he dieth in his place because of the famine, for there is no more bread in the city.'

10 T hen the king commanded Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying, Take from here thirty men with you and raise Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon or cistern pit before he dies.

And the king commandeth Ebed-Melech the Cushite, saying, `Take with thee from this thirty men, and thou hast brought up Jeremiah the prophet from the pit, before he dieth.'

11 S o Ebed-melech took the men with him and went into the house of the king under the treasury, and took along from there old rags and worn-out garments and let them down by ropes into the dungeon or cistern pit to Jeremiah.

And Ebed-Melech taketh the men with him, and entereth the house of the king, unto the place of the treasury, and taketh thence worn-out clouts, and worn-out rags, and sendeth them unto Jeremiah unto the pit by cords.

12 A nd Ebed-melech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, Put now these old rags and worn-out garments under your armpits under the ropes. And Jeremiah did so.

And Ebed-Melech the Cushite saith unto Jeremiah, `Put, I pray thee, the worn-out clouts and rags under thine arm-holes, at the place of the cords,' and Jeremiah doth so,

13 S o they drew up Jeremiah with the ropes and took him up out of the dungeon or cistern pit; and Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard.

and they draw out Jeremiah with cords, and bring him up out of the pit, and Jeremiah dwelleth in the court of the prison.

14 T hen Zedekiah the king sent and brought Jeremiah the prophet to him into the third entrance that is in the house of the Lord. And the king said to Jeremiah, I am going to ask you something; hide nothing from me.

And the king Zedekiah sendeth, and taketh Jeremiah the prophet unto him, unto the third entrance that in the house of Jehovah, and the king saith unto Jeremiah, `I am asking thee a thing, do not hide from me anything.'

15 T hen Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, If I tell you, will you not surely put me to death? And even if I did give you counsel, you would not listen to me.

And Jeremiah saith unto Zedekiah, `When I declare to thee, dost thou not surely put me to death? and when I counsel thee, thou dost not hearken unto me.'

16 S o Zedekiah the king swore secretly to Jeremiah, As the Lord lives, Who made our lives, I will not put you to death or give you into the hands of these men who seek your life.

And the king Zedekiah sweareth unto Jeremiah in secret, saying, `Jehovah liveth, He who made for us this soul, I do not put thee to death, nor give thee unto the hand of these men who are seeking thy soul.'

17 T hen said Jeremiah to Zedekiah, Thus says the Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel: If you will go forth and surrender to the princes of the king of Babylon, then you will live and this city will not be burned with fire; and you will live—you and your house.

And Jeremiah saith unto Zedekiah, `Thus said Jehovah, God of Hosts, God of Israel: If thou dost certainly go forth unto the heads of the king of Babylon, then hath thy soul lived, and this city is not burned with fire, yea, thou hast lived, thou and thy house.

18 B ut if you will not go forth and surrender to the princes of the king of Babylon, then this city will be given into the hands of the Chaldeans and they will burn it with fire; and you will not escape out of their hands.

And if thou dost not go forth unto the heads of the king of Babylon, then hath this city been given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they have burnt it with fire, and thou dost not escape from their hand.'

19 A nd Zedekiah the king said to Jeremiah, I am afraid of the Jews who have deserted to the Chaldeans, lest the enemy deliver me into their hands and they mock me and abuse me.

And the king Zedekiah saith unto Jeremiah, `I am fearing the Jews who have fallen unto the Chaldeans, lest they give me into their hand, and they have insulted me.'

20 B ut Jeremiah said, They will not deliver you. Obey, I beg of you, the voice of the Lord, Who speaks to you through me. Then it will be well with you, and you will live.

And Jeremiah saith, `They do not give thee up; hearken, I pray thee, to the voice of Jehovah, to that which I am speaking unto thee, and it is well for thee, and thy soul doth live.

21 B ut if you refuse to go forth and surrender to them, this is the word that the Lord has shown me:

`And if thou art refusing to go forth, this the thing that Jehovah hath shewn me:

22 B ehold, all the women who are left in the house of the king of Judah will be brought forth to the king of Babylon’s princes and will say, Your friends have prevailed against your better judgment and have deceived you. Now when your feet are sunk in the mire, they have turned their backs.

That, lo, all the women who have been left in the house of the king of Judah are brought forth unto the heads of the king of Babylon, and lo, they are saying: Persuaded thee, and prevailed against thee, Have thine allies, Sunk into mire have thy feet, They have been turned backward.

23 A ll your wives and your children will be brought out to the Chaldeans; and you will not escape out of their hands, but you will be seized by the king of Babylon, and you will cause this city to be burned with fire.

`And all thy wives, and thy sons, are brought forth unto the Chaldeans, and thou dost not escape from their hand, for by the hand of the king of Babylon thou art caught, and this city is burnt with fire.'

24 T hen Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, Let no man know of this conversation and you will not die.

And Zedekiah saith unto Jeremiah, `Let no man know of these words, and thou dost not die;

25 B ut if the princes hear that I have talked with you, and they come to you and say, Tell us what you said to the king and what he said to you; hide it not from us and we will not put you to death,

and when the heads hear that I have spoken with thee, and they have come in unto thee, and have said unto thee, Declare to us, we pray thee, what thou didst speak unto the king, do not hide from us, and we do not put thee to death, and what the king spake unto thee,

26 T hen you shall say to them, I was presenting to the king my humble plea that he would not send me back to Jonathan’s house to die there.

then thou hast said unto them, I am causing my supplication to fall before the king, not to cause me to return to the house of Jonathan, to die there.'

27 T hen came all the princes to Jeremiah and asked him, and he told them all that the king had commanded. So they left off speaking with him, for what the conversation had been was not discovered.

And all the heads come in unto Jeremiah, and ask him, and he declareth to them according to all these words that the king commanded, and they keep silent from him, for the matter was not heard;

28 S o Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard until the day that Jerusalem was taken.

and Jeremiah dwelleth in the court of the prison till the day that Jerusalem hath been captured, and he was when Jerusalem was captured.